Find, Play, Placed, Embroidered features a large collection of new, embroidered illustrations, panels and objects as well as experimental works made in Jessie Chorley’s studio at Thames-Side Studios between 2021-2025. Several works on display will be in an unfinished and evolving state. Alongside this new body of work, there will be older items from the artist’s personal archive, including Jessie’s studio doodle cloths and sketchbooks.

Speaking about her work, Jessie says, “As the title suggests, the exhibition is a celebration of the rhythm of my life as an embroidery artist, my working processes with needle, fabric and thread and my routines as a collector and maker. Nearly all of the work in Find, Play, Placed, Embroidered will have been made with found and pre-used fabric and thread.”

This is a touring exhibition which first opened at Ruthin Craft Centre in North Wales.

About the artist:
Jessie Chorley is a London-based textile artist and author. Hand embroidery as a form of drawing, appliqué techniques and printmaking are at the heart of Jessie’s practice. Needle and thread are her drawing tools. She uses them to create scenes and stories, combining stitched images and words, largely on preloved fabric.
Collecting is something that goes hand-in-hand with Jessie’s making process. She is drawn to items that display marks of a previous life and often sources materials from antique markets, fairs and junk shops. Her ever-growing personal archive of ‘found’ items serves as her ongoing inspiration and is frequently her starting point for an artwork

“I find beauty and inspiration in things that have been discarded or put to one side – fabric cut directly from time worn and discarded clothing is my most frequently used material”.

Born in Kent in1980, she spent her childhood in North Wales. The traditional technical skills and hands-on approach that she celebrates in her work today, were passed down to her from her own family of makers, during her home schooled education. While still a student – studying for the BA in Fine Art Textile Practice at Goldsmiths College, London – she chose to dedicate her life to making things and, shortly after graduating, she set up her own business as a full-time artist, designer and maker. Over time, she has also become a tutor and published author, as well as running a shop/studio, selling her work in East London from 2007 to 2021. www.jessiechorley.com



Thames-Side Studios Gallery
Thames-Side Studios
Harrington Way, Warspite Road
Royal Borough of Greenwich
London SE18 5NR

Open Thursday-Sunday, 12-5pm, during exhibitions.
For general Thames-Side Studios Gallery enquiries please email info@thames-sidestudios.co.uk
Disabled access. Free, limited parking is available on site.

How to get here:
Bicycle: Thames River cycle path (16 mins cycle from Greenwich).
Bus: 161 / 177 / 180 / 472 to Warspite Road bus stop.
DLR: Woolwich Arsenal (1 minute walk to Plumstead Road and take Route Bus 177 towards Peckham Bus Station or 472 towards North Greenwich Station).
Road: A2 corridor, first roundabout east of Thames Barrier onto Warspite Road.
Train: From Cannon Street or London Bridge to Woolwich Dockyard (8 minute walk) or Charlton (12 minute walk).
Tube: North Greenwich (Take the Route Bus 472 towards Thamesmead Town Centre).
Crossrail: Elizabeth Line to Woolwich (take Route Bus 177 towards Peckham Bus Station or 472 towards North Greenwich Station).